Face of woman accused of killing gran - The Sun

THIS is the face of a woman accused of stabbing a grandmother to death in an apparent random killing.

Nicola Edgington had been due in court charged with the murder of Sally Hodkin,59, in a high street in Bexleyheath, south London yesterday.
But Greenwich Magistrates' Court heard she was unfit to face the courtroom due to her 'extreme' mental health problems.
The defendant who has a 'history of mental health problems' was held in the cells but excused from attending the packed courtroom after applications by her counsel, the court's head of security and a psychiatrist.
Dr Amit Chatterjee, duty psychiatrist at the court, said: "I have had the opportunity to meet her this morning.

"She does have extreme mental health problems. I don't think she is fit to attend court in her mental state.'

A security guard summoned described Edgington's condition said the woman was 'agitated'.

He said: "At the moment she is in a cell with three officers but I am a bit reluctant to bring her up with everyone around.

"She seems to be very agitated with people in the cells, she's getting very agitated and uppity."

Chair of the bench Stephen Langford agreed for the hearing to be held in her absence.

Edgington, who was represented by her solicitor, Callum Haddow, was told her case will be heard next at the Old Bailey on Thursday when a bail application is due to take place.

Mr Langford said: "This will be sent to the central criminal court for January 17 2012. There will be a bail application on Thursday October 13."

Edgington is also charged with the attempted murder of a 23-year-old woman, Scotland Yard said.

Tragic Sally Hodkin was stabbed in the neck with a steel steak knife snatched from a butcher's store.

The attacker then walked into a nearby shop and calmly told the owner: "Call the police. I think I've killed someone."

Cops arrested the 31-year-old suspect and took her to hospital for mental health checks before quizzing her on the attack.

The horrifying incident happened in front of morning commuters and shocked school pupils making their way to class in the South east London suburb.

The attacker is first thought to have stolen a knife from a nearby Asda store struggling with security guards before stabbing a woman of 23 in the hand at a bus stop.

A passer-by helped disarm her, but moments later she stormed into the butcher's and wordlessly walked behind the counter to grab a 12in knife.

Butcher David Russell, 59, said: "She seemed calm. But she raised the knife above her head as if to stab me. It was like a scene from a horror film."

David and a colleague gave chase as the woman fled. But before they could act, she had attacked Sally.

Ryan Higgins said she then walked into his tile shop and "confessed". He said: "Police arrested her. I heard her say, 'I should have been sectioned yesterday'."

The woman in the first attack suffered minor wounds. Sally was treated by paramedics, but confirmed dead in the street. Police believe neither knew the attacker and were hit at random. A knife was found at the scene, where cops put up a tent.

Last night it was reported the knife attacker had tried to get herself sectioned on Sunday night but been turned away. Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust in Kent said: "We are co-operating with police and will investigate."

Sally, an accounts manager for a firm of solicitors, had two grown-up sons and lived with husband Paul just a two-minute walk from the spot where she died.

Paul last night laid flowers at the scene, accompanied by seven weeping family members. A neighbour said: "There's no kinder, sweeter woman you could hope to meet. Her family have been robbed."

b.flynn@the-sun.co.uk